Learnings

{ January 28, 2008 @ 10:04 } · { Uncategorized }

• two INCIDENCES from the past

1.A seminar in my school when i was in the 11th standard. I was introduced to lateral thinking, global communication etc. The speaker was quite inspiring. He challenged my thoughts and and i could see a different direction and a whole new learning waiting to be explored.I felt a little uncomfortable as I realised this is not what I am used to. Also i was feeling small and insignificant. But at the same time very inspired and motivated.he gave us examples of some of the best advertising works and their creativity. I could suddenly see soo many possibilities for myself!

2.my second learning experience was from the Rang De Basanti. Watching that movie was an overwhelming feeling. I could relate to the characters, how they grow from what they were. How the system suddenly affects them and they decide to do something. Basically the movie said ‘ if u dont like something, dont crib, try changing it yourself ‘.

• thought processes THROUGH COURSES…

1.Material Exploration:In the final project where we had to make a utility product using any one kind of material, I had made up mind to use a material which i had’nt used before and which i am not comfortable using.I had a lot of choices like clay , paper, wood etc. I chose  wood thinking it would be interesting and challenging.I decided to a wooden table.I was very motivated and worked long enough for it. What was wrong was that i should have researched a little more, looked for references and also found out more abt the wood and its quality.I could have experimented with different products of wood.

2.Illustration:In matts illustration course we were given a word to illustrate. My thought process was literal in the begining. Then I thought on terms of contradiction thorugh illustartions, how the illustration will contradictory to reality making it interesting. But when i had made around 10 thumbnails i was told that I am taking the work too literally and using only the first thoughts to contribute to my illustrations. I researched on different meaning to the word.I decided to try using it in a different context altogether.

3. Paper Making:In the final instalation, the whole idea about shoiwng five elements through trees of just black wand white and paper widout colour was an innovative concept. I got motivated immediately. I started drwing thumbnails. And aftr a few thumbnails we decided on what to make. We thought of branches of the tree as different characteristics of water.What was lacking was again a little bit of research but more thought. We could have thought of a more abstract or more non literal anwser to the problem. Although it looked really nice i still feel we could have made it more interesting to think about.

4.Thinking through Drawing:Initially in the course when i was asked to express through lines my feelings, subconciously my mind would always would always think aboput how it looked. Instead of just getting into the feeling, the looks and appeal concerned me. Although i knew it was not doing justice to the exercise. I realised during the course how each one expresses diferently and how its imporatnt maintain that individuality, naturalness and spontaniety. Pouring down your feelings on paper was getting easier than worrying about how it looked.The same learning applies mostly in designing. Its very important to have an orignal meaningful concept and one should never get bothered by only the visual appeal.

• learning over the WEEKEND…(ACTIVITY)

I was speaking to one of my friends who in her school days used to participate in many public speaking competitions. She told me about what all she spoke in her speeches.

One of the very interesting things was on Tsunami. According to her it was a 7 min long speech.

I wanted to know about it. So she told me whatever she could remember.

She said that tsunami is derived from Japanese words “tsu” meaning harbour and “nami” wave, which means harbour wave. One morning the Japanese fishermen went to the harbour they saw everything destroyed and devastated. When they could guess the cause they called it the harbour wave or tsunami.

The main reasons of a tsunami could be a drop in the tectonic plates, or a volcano/earthquake in the sea bed or a very huge landslide.

When the tectonic plates drop, the water has to be filled in and comes with a huge force which like ripples reaches the shore. The ripple is itself so powerful that it 30-50 meters high, nobody can imagine how much the actual shift would have caused the water to do.

People consider it to be like broad base whip with a narrower end and imagine the force when it is concentrated in a smaller part.

The second reason can be because of volcanoes and earthquake in the ocean bed.

The volcano occurs due to excessive heat and pressure. Both have more devastating effects than on land. As water will always have ripple like properties and the magnitude will just multiply.

Another reason, unusual as it may seem, if there is a land slide and if there is sea below and a huge chunk of land slides down it will create so much destruction. The effect will just multiply.

I felt like finding out more…so I went to Google and searched.

I found out that there is another cause for it also like the calving of very large icebergs from glaciers in fiords.

Calving means the breaking off of a mass of ice from its parent glacier, iceberg, or ice shelf.

It can speed up to 600 mi/hr (965 km/hr), hundreds of miles over open sea before it hits land.

As the waves get closer to shore, they decrease in speed and increase in height. They approach the coastline as a series of high and low water levels, approximately 10-45 minutes apart, with their speed decreasing to about 30-40 mi/hr (50-60 km/hr). The depth of the water and the layout of the coastal area can affect the tsunami’s configuration when it hits the shore. It can grow to 30-50 meters high and smash into the shore as a wall of water or sweep over the land as a fast-moving flood. Although tsunamis can happen in any large body of water, most occur in the Pacific Ocean.

A tsunami that is generated from close-by can reach the shore in less than ten minutes. This does not allow authorities time to issue a warning. The only warning might be movement in the ground, which could alert people close to the shore that a tsunami is imminent.

Areas at greatest risk are usually within one mile (1.6 km) of the shoreline and less than 25 feet (7.6 meters) above sea level. Since the tsunami arrives as a series of waves, the danger exists even after the first wave hits. Often, subsequent waves may be more dangerous than the first one. The force of the tsunami is enormous, with waves carrying huge boulders, trees, buildings and vehicles in its wake. It can wrap around an island and be just as dangerous on the far side of the island as on the side facing the source of the tsunami.

  

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